Today’s District Daily discusses the Washington Nationals’ first September call-ups and the team’s expectations for the last month of the regular season.
Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses the Nationals’ first September call-ups. As Janes writes, the Nationals bolstered their pitching staff by calling up Mat Latos and Sean Burnett.
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Injuries to Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross have depleted the Nationals’ pitching staff, so it’s not surprising that pitching was the first area they addressed when rosters expanded. Latos and Burnett are the first of several players the Nats will be calling up this month, as they look to head into the postseason strong.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier discusses the Nationals’ expectations for September. While things haven’t been perfect for the team in the last few weeks, they have a comfortable lead in the NL East and are primed to enter the postseason with one of the best records in the National League.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Mat Latos, Sean Burnett among Nationals’ first September call-ups
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
NEW YORK — As expected, the Washington Nationals bolstered their roster Friday with their first round of September call-ups, adding seven players before Friday’s series opener with the Mets at Citi Field. Most notably, veteran right-hander Mat Latos and familiar left-hander Sean Burnett have been called up from Class AAA Syracuse. Neither was on the 40-man roster prior to Friday, so the Nationals designated outfielder Matt den Dekker for assignment and moved right-hander Joe Ross to the 60-day disabled list. Ross has been on the DL since July 3, and is still on rehab assignment. By the time he is ready to return, he will be eligible to do so, meaning the Nationals essentially found a free roster spot for the moment.
Catcher Pedro Severino, outfielder Brian Goodwin and relievers Trevor Gott, Matt Grace and Rafael Martin are also active. All five have appeared in the majors before, though neither Gott nor Grace has done so this season. Read full article here.
Nats hope to ‘keep jelling,’ surge in September
PHILADELPHIA — The Nationals enter September with the second-best record in the National League and the second-biggest division lead in all of baseball, and they are well on their way to capturing their third NL East title in the past five years.
And perhaps the most intriguing aspect of these Nats is that they have yet to play their best baseball.
With the exception of a tremendous April, Bryce Harper has not looked like the reigning NL Most Valuable Player Award winner, but he has shown signs of a breakout recently. Washington had the least productive leadoff hitters in the Majors until it installed Trea Turner at the top of the order and in center field just after the All-Star break. Read full article here.